Infection Prevention and Control

The Prairie Mountain Health (PMH) Infection Prevention and Control program is dedicated in preventing infections for all individuals requiring care in our region. This contributes to the best possible services, care and clinical outcomes for our clients while providing a safe environment for staff, volunteers and visitors.

Infection prevention and control is everyone’s responsibility.

Click on the tabs below to learn more about everyone's role in Infection Prevention and Control.

Visiting a Facility

Hand Hygiene

Client Info & Handouts

Visiting a PMH Facility

To help prevent the spread of infection, if you or a family member are coming to a PMH facility to be assessed and/or admitted, please let staff know if you have any of the following signs or symptoms:

New cough or shortness of breath

Fever, chills or muscle aches

Sore throat

Vomiting or diarrhea

Kkin rash

History of previous diagnosis or infection with an organism resistant to antibiotics, for example MRSA or CPE

If you are visiting a family or friend within a PMH facility, you can help prevent the spread of infection and protect our clients, visitors and staff by the following:

Avoid visiting if you have had one of the following in the past 24 hours:

Vomiting or Diarrhea

Fever and/or chills

New or worsening cough

New rash

Clean your hands often with soap and water or hand sanitizer before and after your visits (click on the Hand Hygiene tab above for more information)

Cover your cough or sneeze using a tissue or your upper sleeve – not into your hands. Discard used tissues into a wastebasket and clean your hands with either hand sanitizer or soap and water. Turn your head away from others when coughing or sneezing.

To prevent the spread of certain types of infections the use of Additional Precautions may be required. If the individual you are visiting has an Additional Precautions poster on their door, please speak to a nurse before entering the room.

Here is an example of what the poster might look like:

Hand Hygiene

Most germs in health care settings can be spread by unclean hands. Each time a person touches an object or another person, germs can be spread. Good hand washing can help prevent harmful germs from spreading and causing infection.

What is your role in preventing infections?

Hand hygiene is important for everyone; you, your loved ones, and health care providers. It is okay to ask your health care providers, friends and family to clean their hands. After all, it’s your health we are interested in, so don’t be shy about asking.

Everyone should clean their hands:

Before and after touching you

Before and after eating

When hands are visibly dirty

After using the bathroom

After coughing or sneezing

If you are in a health care facility, you should also clean your hands before you leave your room and when you return.

Visitors are important in preventing the spread of infections. When visiting a facility it is important that you clean your hands when you:

Arrive at the facility

Enter the client’s room

Exit the client’s room

Leave the facility

What are the choices for cleaning hands?

What is PMH Doing?

PMH recognizes that hand hygiene is the single most important practice to prevent the spread of infections. Thousands of times a day, health care workers handle items that can carry germs. Without good hand washing, these germs can be spread to others and cause infections. PMH strives to maintain optimal hand hygiene performance by all staff to help prevent health care-associated infections.

How is PMH doing this?

All staff complete mandatory hand hygiene education annually. Hand hygiene performance is monitored by conducting regular audits throughout the region. Our goal is to provide the safest care possible within all PMH programs.